Wednesdays

Today is normally the day I write my message for sunday…and spend some time with my daughter.But…Sunday I will be off to Busselton (so no need to write a message)…and my daughter is a little bit sick, so no dancing for her today. So, I installed the little coat hanger/shelf thing she was given, and we had some vegemite sandwhiches together.

I have also been compiling some quotes for new church signs…very frustrating that is!

Apart from that, I have spent an innordinate amount of time making two fantastic coffees….mmmmmm

Days off for a pastor are a vexed issue. Everyone keeps telling me that there must be a designated day off. I am not so sure. Saturdays is normally my day off for sure…I try to make sure everything is done for Sunday. But I prefer to have a fluidity about my time. What I mean is that I dont want to restrict myself to having to take a day off. If I want to grab an our or two here and there to read the paper, have a slow coffee….I can. But if I want to focus for a few hours on something important, on a day that might be designated a day off….I will do that as well.

Its all about being a good practioner. I dont want to insist on time off, unless I need it. In that case, I wont answer my phone, nor reply to emails.

Dinner time is sacred. The phone (home and mobile) gets switched off. Our family, including the kids, know that dinner around the table is sacred. Truly sacred. I dont use that word lightly. Nothing interupts it, it is set apart for our family.

For me its about boundaries. I dont want other people setting them for me, and I dont want to not be able to set them for myself. I dont want someone saying, you must take this day off….thats the joy of being a pastor. If I want to, and can, pick up the kids from school…what a blessing! If I need to be out 3 or 4 nights a week…thats okay too…as long as its balanced.

Being a pastor is not always easy, getting the balance is not always easy….but ultimately, I am a professional, and am glad I can set those boundaries for myself. At times I will allow someone else, probably my peer group, to peer into that schedhule. Not just to make sure I am having enough time off, but also to make sure I am doing enough work! Lately, doing enough work has not been the issue.